The invention pertains to a device for adjusting a crop pick-up on an agricultural baling press, with the adjustment device containing an adjustment mechanism for varying the distance between the pick-up and the ground.
Baling presses, in particular, modern round balers according to WO-A1-98/17096, are provided with so-called pick-ups that are intended for picking up the widest swaths possible in order to achieve a high cropping capacity. In order to ensure that the pick-up always maintains a certain distance from the ground, the pick-up is provided with support wheels that can be mounted on the pick-up in different positions. However, this desired spacing of the pick-up from the ground is not achieved when ground conditions are such that the pick-up sinks into the ground and its tines engage the ground. The support wheels are laterally adjustable so that they do not protrude beyond the lateral dimensions of the baling press during its transport.
The problem to be solved by the invention is the considerable structural expense associated with the mounting and adjustment of the support wheels and the fact that the wheels sometimes do not achieve the desired spacing, and crop sometimes builds up around the wheel support structure.
According to the present invention, there is provided an improved pick-up height adjusting device.
A broad object of the invention is to provide a pick-up height adjusting device that is relatively inexpensive and easily operated to achieve reliable, adjustable height maintenance.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide a pick-up height adjusting device which eliminates the need for pick-up support wheels. This is achieved by using a contact-free height sensor such as a high-frequency or ultrasonic sensor.
Another object of the invention is to provide an alternate sensor, which while in contact with the ground, is in the form of a feeler having the ability to penetrate dense weeds which cause the contact-free sensor to deliver a false height signal.
These and other objects will become apparent from a reading of the ensuing description together with the appended drawing.